RESISTING CHANGE by Russell Francis and Daniel Horowitz Back in the 20's, America was a very volatile place. Business was booming, but so was crime. Things like the KKK were popping back up, weeds worming their way through the pavement of society. Religious debates were everywhere, one of the most famous being the Scopes trial. Here, you can learn about these and mo- actually, just those two. Welcome to the twenties.
Key Terms:
supremacists: people against other groups for reasons such as race
caste: social stadus
fundamentalist: literal belief in strict principles
The KKK in the 1920's by Dan H. The KKK was most prominent in the south, but they also showed up in the West and in the Midwestern states. A small meeting of white supremacists on Stone Mountain, Georgia in 1915 provided the nucleus for the resurgence of the organization. The comeback started off a little slow, but soon it became extremely influential in the south. By the middle of the 1920s, nearly 4 million men and women were members of the Klu Klux Klan. The group claimed to be against anything and everything that was contrary to "America" and directed their violence toward Catholics, Jews, and recent immigrants. The Klan believed those groups were serious threats to the health and peacefulness of the nation. Their slogan was "100 Percent Americanism.” The Klan championed themselves as defenders, not of a racial or caste system, but of traditional values. They were an extremely powerful political force. The Klan controlled key branches of local government throughout the country. In Anaheim, California, for example, the Klan controlled the police, the city council, and other public offices. By the 1930s it had lost nearly all of its power. Today however, there is still some KKK activity in the United States (mostly in Arizona). Their goals and their purpose remains the same, but instead of lynching Afircan Americans and other racial groups, they look for a "nonviolent" solution.
The Scopes Trial
By Russell Francis
The Scopes Trial, also known as The State of Tennessee vs. Scopes, was a controversial trial which was fought over evolution. In 1925, high school Science teacher John Scopes was accused of teaching evolution to high school students. At the time, Tennessee had, with the Butler Act, banned the teaching of evolution in school, as it went against fundamentalist Christianity. However, the state required teachers to use a textbook that had a chapter on evolution. On April 17th, 1925, Scopes allegedly taught this chapter to his students. He stood trial and was convicted on May 25th, 1925. During trial, His Lawyers argued against many pastors about whether or not evolution contradicted the Bible, and whether or not evolution existed at all. Scopes lost the trial and was found guilty, but he was released on a technicality and the case was never brought to trial again. In 1955, a play called Inherit the Wind that was based loosely on the trial was released. John Scopes. "Peace History May." Www.PeaceButtons.info -The Little Button With A Big Message. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. <http://www.peacebuttons.info/new/E-News/peacehistorymay.htm>.
Back in the 20's, America was a very volatile place. Business was booming, but so was crime. Things like the KKK were popping back up, weeds worming their way through the pavement of society. Religious debates were everywhere, one of the most famous being the Scopes trial. Here, you can learn about these and mo- actually, just those two. Welcome to the twenties.
Key Terms:
supremacists: people against other groups for reasons such as race
caste: social stadus
fundamentalist: literal belief in strict principles
The KKK in the 1920's
by Dan H.
The KKK was most prominent in the south, but they also showed up in the West and in the Midwestern states. A small meeting of white supremacists on Stone Mountain, Georgia in 1915 provided the nucleus for the resurgence of the organization. The comeback started off a little slow, but soon it became extremely influential in the south. By the middle of the 1920s, nearly 4 million men and women were members of the Klu Klux Klan.
The group claimed to be against anything and everything that was contrary to "America" and directed their violence toward Catholics, Jews, and recent immigrants. The Klan believed those groups were serious threats to the health and peacefulness of the nation. Their slogan was "100 Percent Americanism.” The Klan championed themselves as defenders, not of a racial or caste system, but of traditional values. They were an extremely powerful political force. The Klan controlled key branches of local government throughout the country. In Anaheim, California, for example, the Klan controlled the police, the city council, and other public offices. By the 1930s it had lost nearly all of its power. Today however, there is still some KKK activity in the United States (mostly in Arizona). Their goals and their purpose remains the same, but instead of lynching Afircan Americans and other racial groups, they look for a "nonviolent" solution.
The Scopes Trial
By Russell Francis
The Scopes Trial, also known as The State of Tennessee vs. Scopes, was a controversial trial which was fought over evolution. In 1925, high school Science teacher John Scopes was accused of teaching evolution to high school students. At the time, Tennessee had, with the Butler Act, banned the teaching of evolution in school, as it went against fundamentalist Christianity. However, the state required teachers to use a textbook that had a chapter on evolution. On April 17th, 1925, Scopes allegedly taught this chapter to his students. He stood trial and was convicted on May 25th, 1925. During trial, His Lawyers argued against many pastors about whether or not evolution contradicted the Bible, and whether or not evolution existed at all. Scopes lost the trial and was found guilty, but he was released on a technicality and the case was never brought to trial again. In 1955, a play called Inherit the Wind that was based loosely on the trial was released.
John Scopes.
"Peace History May." Www.PeaceButtons.info -The Little Button With A Big Message. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. <http://www.peacebuttons.info/new/E-News/peacehistorymay.htm>.
A political cartoon inspired by the Scopes Trial.
"Hisory of the Scopes Trial." Thamanjimmy. 2 Nov. 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. http://thamanjimmy.blogspot.com/2010/11/hisory-of-scopes-trial.html.
an overhead shot of the lawyers in the scopes trial.
Tabler, Dave. "The Scopes Monkey Trial." Appalachian History. 5 Aug. 2008. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. <http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2008/08/scopes-monkey-trial.html>.